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Tuesday, 25 January 2011

I DO like Tuesdays - smarter use of the net, web and CRM Software or "the Cloud" in Selling.

Intelligent use of the data we gain when customers and prospects visit our websites is all the rage at the moment. It seems clear that, we in 'selling', are not making the most of the net's tools at our disposal.

I guess like most people I use only a tiny part of what my computer can do for me in selling. So it is with the web and net. Some days I feel the way I use my PC is akin to driving a 'Lambo' but never getting the magnificent machine out of first gear.

Similarly there is a wealth of business intelligence which exists around our businesses on the net but it is underutilised.

Using such intelligence we could develop better sales strategies and follow up better to leverage this intelligence for more profitable business.

One of our common challenges in modern selling is:

How do we take our business to this next level?

For most of us , the answer typically lies in an enlarged sales turnover and increased marketing activity.

PROTECTING existing customer base, EXPANDING business within existing customers and DEVELOPING new business in our prospecting activity are three popular main business development objectives.

Yet the returns generated in our use of the net for business doesn’t always meet our expectations nor does it reach the levels we suspect they potentially can.

I have lost count of the numbers of clients who have at first excitedly told me about a newly adopted CRM system which will transform their world but which within in just a few months turns out to be more cumbersome than they had expected and before long it has becomes an unpopular white elephant. Of course this is not a new syndrome or particularly to do with computers and the net or cloud per se.

Such problems occured in the heyday of paperwork systems such as Kalamzoo and SCRS. It was seldom purely the system but its users.

GIGO (‘Garbish in’ – ‘Garbish out’ has been with us for years)

New CRM systems are quickly adopted and championed by those who will use them as a control and administrative system but perhaps more cynically adapted by field and desk based salespeople who have to populate the system with input data!

From a Sales perspective we want convert more prospects into new clients, cross sell better within their current client base and find new opportunities to pro-actively pursue.

From our Marketing view we need to generate more measurable returns on our marketing spend ( doing the same with a smaller budget), gain clarity on the success of our individual marketing campaigns, and drive more opportunities through to our sales effort.

Sales would like 4 features:-

1.To be able to build up customer profiles of their organisations when visiting our website , understand what our clients and prospects are interested in.

2. To get the right information, to the right people. In selling we need to have relevant information on our clients and prospects delivered directly to us or accessible to us.

3. To know when our clients and prospects are thinking seriously about our offering so we can respond at the right time and not pounce at the first click per view.

4. To engage with our audience and maximise the results.

If we could profile over time of the companies who visit our client’s website in a simple and intuitive process we could drive sales growth and maximise the value of our marketing investment from our CRM and software.

If like Bob Geldorf or myself " You don't like Mondays" you might enjoy "Trovus Tuesdays" where they share best practice in seminars with the clients and prospects.

The next Trovus Tuesday Breakfast Seminar is 2nd February 2010.

I have attended some of these and they are both highly informative and an opportunity to meet fellow sales managers looking to get more from their websites ,CRM systems etc.

Following on from their success last year, the first of the Trovus New Year Breakfast Briefings will take place on Tuesday 2nd February from 9.00am - 10.30am. ( see booking/registration details below.)

If you can't make next week's session look out for the next Trovus Tuesday.

Held in the Rehearsal Room at the Adam Street Club in London, the session is intended to be an informal workshop for you to understand the innovative approach that Trovus have developed to drive more value for your business by building profiles of the companies visiting your website. Guest speaker Matt Garman, Director, dhc will be sharing his experience of how Trovus has delivered value to his business. He will also discuss how dhc and Trovus are working to integrate Trovus into Microsoft Dynamics - the CRM solution from Microsoft.

Attending the seminar will enable you to:

•Learn innovative new techniques to drive your sales•Hear and see at first-hand case studies•Meet other companies and learn from their shared experiences

There will be case studies presented by Coast Digital and Morgan Cole Solicitors to allow you to experience how our clients typically benefit from our innovative approach.

Booking/Registration Details for Trovus Tuesdays:-

Places are limited so early registration is advised. Contact Niki Denham at niki.denham@trovus.co.uk to register. or via the link above to Trovus above.

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About Me

I have been a training consultant for 30 years.
I also research Buyers Views of Sales people for an ongoing research study I have done for the last twelve years
The majority of photographs, videos and audios in this blog are taken on my new Fujifilm Fine pix T from May 2012 The Pencil Sketches are mine also